Two-wheeled vehicle



v (No Model.) I 4 Shets-Sheet 1. r J. T. GURNEY.

TWO WHEELED VEHICLE. No. 361,939. I Patented ggg 26,,188'7.

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TWO WHEELED VEHICLE.

Patented Apr. 26,1887.

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(No Model.)

4 Sheets-$heet 3. J. T. GURNEY. v

TWO WHEELED VEHICLE.

I 72 vs ntorx PatentedApnZG, 1887.

Witrwsses/ N. PETERS. Phnm Lilhagraphor. Washington, 0. a

(No Model.) I 4 Sheets-Sheet 4. J. T. GURNEY.

TWO WHEELED VEHIGLE.

No. 361,939. Patented Apr. 26,1887.

171 vs mi e r,

N. PETERS, Pholn-Lilhngnpher. Washington, 14;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J. THEGDORE GURNEY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

TWO-WHEELED VEHIICLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 361,939, dated April 26, 1887.

Application filed May 27, 1884. Serial No. 132,922. (No model.) i

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, J. THEODORE GURNEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicles, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a side view of a portion of a cab, showing some of my improvements. Fig. 2is a front view of the body, the shafts being shown in section on alinein front of the cross bar and whiffletree. Fig. 3 is a rear View of the cab. Fig. 4 is a perspective of the runhing-gear. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the interior. Fig. 6 is a cross-section of the body and bodyirame. Fig. 7 is a partial section on line or 00, Figs. 1 and 13. Fig. 8 is a perspective of the frame-work of the body, together with another form of the shaft-connection namely, backward-projecting springs-this figure showing, also, the manner of attaching the shaft-connections by parts joined to the body behind the front end. Fig. 9 is a top view of the shafts, showing, also, the second form of shaft-connection, the spring at the rear end. Fig. 10 is a perspective of the paneling detached. Fig. 11 shows the parts of the roof. Fig. 12 is a sectional view taken across the shafts and looking toward the drivers support. Fig. 13 is a side view of a cab complete, it showing the form of shaft-connection illustrated in Fig. 12. Fig. 14 is a sectional view of an ordinary top or roof.

This invention relates to improvements in passenger-vehicles, more particularly to twowheeled cabs of the class having the passenger-entrance at the rear and the drivers support in front of the axle, with a closed front wall behind and below the driver-that is to say, closed as concerns entrance and exit in front. There are several peculiarities to vehicles of this sort which make them advantageous for public passenger traffic, in contradistinction to those having the drivers seat in the rear and the passenger-entrance in front of the axle, and in contradistinction to those openbodied two-wheeled vehicles in which the entrance is in front of the axle, and in which the driver also sits within the body and over the axle. Some of the features of construction herein provided for can be applied in vehicles of other sorts-as, for instance, the paneling and the means of attaching it.

One of the objects is to so constructvehicles of the class above referred to and so arrange the essential parts thereof that the draft can be applied more advantageously than heretofore in respect to the weights to be carried and the relative positions of the parts.

Another object is to so construct and arrange the parts that a number of the heavy and cumbersome devices heretofore used can be dispensed with, and at the same time the vehicle be more durable.

Another object is to soconstruct and arrange the parts that the draft devices can be adjusted to throw the front ends ofthe shafts up or down, and at the same time have the draft applied properly, as aforesaid, in respect to the weights to be carried. is to provide an improved material for the walls or panels of the cab and improved means for fastening them.

A A representthesupportingwheels mounted on a bent or cranked axlethat is, one having wrists formed of the arms a and connecting-parts a, the wrists being joined by the cranked part a.

B B are side springs of the running'gear, upon which the body is supported. To attain some of the ends at which I aim, I attach the side springs to the axle-wrists above the parts a, though some of the features of the present invention are independent of the special con struction of the side springs and axle and of their relation to each other. The front ends, as shown, are carried by hanger B. The rear ends are supported from the body by a spring, B.

I have shown in Fig. 8 a framework for the body. To this sheet-metal panels are secured for the walls, the bottom, and the top or cover.

I represents the panel fitted to the upper part of the box, and I the panels fitted to the inwardly-iuclined part of the bottom. These are secured to the outside of the frame. Heretofore such panels have been made of wood, and many disadvantages have been incident to them. The panels which I have devised I have found to be much superior. Each panel is provided with apertures i, through which screws t" are passed to fasten them to the frame. The screw-slots are then filled with Another- ICO solder, as at 6 and the solder is filed smooth. Thus there is provided a strong fastening, but a perfectly-smooth surface, so that paint and varnish can be applied in such way as to entirely conceal the fasteners.

I represents a cover for the joint or edges of two adjacent sheets of metal. WVhen the said sheets are at an angle to each other, the joint-cover can be bent or creased to conform to the shape at the joint.

I and 1 respectively, represent the front and rear sheet-metal panel, and I is a vertical joint-covering piece.

I I represent the sheet metal of the roof, formed into such shape as'is necessary to give the desired shape of roof. If there are joints, covering-strips i can be employed. The bottom of the vehicle-box is also formed of the sheet metal 1 g A body for light vehicles can be constructed in this way not only much more'cheaply and with less weight, but also so as to be more durable than those heretofore made of wood, and, moreover, can be made more ornamental, as the paint and the varnish have less liability to be cracked and shaken off than from wood. The sheet metal can be readily bent or curved into any desired shape.

Any suitable or well-known frame-work can be used, though I prefer one of the character shown in Fig. 8, it-having vertical bars K K, side bars, J, front bars, J, rear bars, J bottom bars, and inwardly inclined or curved,

bars joining the narrower part of the box with the upper wider part. So,too, the cover-frame may be constructed in any suitable way. The one shown has uprights L L, top bars,L roof or cover supporting bars L", and a central top support, L*.

M represents the door in the rear side ofthe cab. It will be understood that the door can be modified in character to properly conform to the body that is used. 1

' O 0 represent the shafts.

F is a cross-bar adapted to have the horse hitched thereto. A whifiletree,F, can be employed, held by a loop or clevis, f". The latter has an eye, f, and a strap, f engages therewith and with the drivers support by an eye, f

H H are the steps carried and fastened by means of the parts H H H.

The shafts are vertically adjustable in Figs. 9, 12, and 13that is to say, so arranged that the front ends can be thrown up or down as the height of the horse or the weight may require; or they may be non-adjustable, as in Figs. 1 and 2. This. adjustment is effected in the construction shown by screw-rods F in bearings G G, projecting in from the shaft,the rods carrying cranks F and engaging with eyes F.

F is a spring interposed between the shafts and the other .parts at points in front of the rear shaft-connection; and I prefer to make this spring the support for the said eyes F.

By turning the .rod F the shafts can be adjusted, and at the same time the spring F always acts to take up or to assistin taking up the motions of the shafts and relieve the body therefrom, it bearing at d against the body through the medium of the drivers support; but the spring F may be connected to the shafts in any wellknown way, as in Figs. 1 and 2.

The shafts are connected to the vehicle in such way as to allow of the aforesaid adjustment of the front ends, and also to allow of vibration, when in use, independently of the vehicle. Two forms of connecting devices are shownhinges at E and springs at E,projecting backward from the shaft. However, I do not herein claim the novel features incident to the spring as a shaft-connection in the combination and arrangement I have invented for these cabs, reserving the right to claim such combination in another application, pending herewith, Serial No. 132,923, preferring to claim herein only the patentable features incident to the hinge as a shaft-connection, in the said'combination and arrangement, and also to claim the patentable features incident to the adjustable shafts as an element in the combination and arrangement, whether the shafts have the hinge or the spring connection. Nor do I herein claim, broadly,in acab of the character described, a shaft having a flexible connection for uniting it to the vehicle, having made that also the subject-matter of claims in the said other application.

To attain some of the ends at which I aim, I secure the shaft-connection to the vehicle in dependently of the drivers support.

I am aware of the patent to 1?. Herdic, No.

259,310, ,of June 13, 1882, and do not wish to be understood as claiming the matters therein shown; but by securing the shaft-connections independently of the drivers support I can dispense with the heavy frame and box necessary in the construction illustrated in said patent, and can make the vehicle and the drivers support lighter, more durable, and more tasty in appearance. Again, I bring the side springs to the axle-wrists, and therefore near to the plane in which the draft is applied, so that the latter is brought to bear not only near the greatest weight, but also near the supporting devices for thebody, whether the shafts be flexibly connected directly to the draft-frame or to some other part of the vehicle, the one advantage being attained so long as the shaft-connections are situated in or near the horizontal planes of the weight of the passengers and the side springs are elevated; and the other advantage is attained so long as the shafts are united to the vehicle independently of the draft-frame and near the planes of the seats, whether the side springs are secured to the axle at the wrists or below.

I am also aware of the French patent to Fabas, No. 6,033, of 1838, and the English patent to Poole, No. 7,188, of 1836, and do not claim as my invention the features of arrangement and construction therein shown. In

those the drivers seat extends to points back of the axle, the shaft runs to the body above the passengers seats, and above the greatest weight in the interior, and the harness-traces are themselves connected to the body. In my construction I utilize the shafts directly to apply the draft, and hinge them (as is more particularly provided for in this case) near the plane of the passengers seats, (preferably at or a little below the latter,) and as aresult I can carry the drivers seat lower down and farther forward, and can cause his weight to balance that of the passengers; and, moreover, I can prolong the body backward, so as to increase the capacity of the vehicle.

I also know that heretofore screw-rods have been used to adjust shafts, being shown, for ex-' ample, in the French patent to Manneville, No. 3,394,0f February 19, 1834; bntin such constrnctions the shafts'were not capable of vibrating relatively to the body when the vehicle was in motion. So, too, use has been made of adjustable shafts in open sulkies having bodies elevated above the shaft-line, with the drivers sent directly over the axle, as

shown in the French patent to Bede], No,

96,917, of October 8, 1872, the shafts in these vehicles terminating in springs, and being adapted to have their rear ends thrown up or down and fastened in different positions to adjust the front ends; and at the date of this patent it is known that the latter means of adjustment can be substituted in the combination and arrangement I have invented for cabs. I herein refer to interposing a spring between the shafts and the parts drawn thereby, and wish to be understood as meaning that the springs are so disposed as to relieve the body of horse motion, whether interposed directly between the body or the drivers support and the shafts or indirectly through the medium of the running-gear. The shaft-connections (the hinges or the springs) may be made in any of the now well-known or in any suitable way. The hinge shown has ears 0 and a pivotbolt for the shaft. The springs E are secured by the part 0 running backward and joined to the frame. The hinges may be fastened in a substantially similar way. By examining Figs. ,1, 2, 3, 6, 9, and 13 it will be seen that these shaft-connections are below the horizontal planes of the seats above the plane of the bottom and between the vertical planes of the narrowest part of the box and the outer vertical planes of the widest part of the box, the shafts not being spread apart so as to lie outside of the body; but I do not wish to be limited to the exact location shown, so long as the connections are in the planes of greatest interior weight.

The drivers support comprises the foot-rest D and the seat I)", supported on the brackets l) D D I do not of course claim to be the first to use a drivers support in front, as heretofore. In some cabs both of the aforesaid parts-namely, the footrest and the seat-have been entirely in front of the body, and in others only the foot-rest, a part or all of the seat being in a recess in the front of the body, though in front of the vertical line of the axle. It is well known that having this drivers support thus in front of the axle and the passenger-entrance in rear the parts can be so related that the weight on the horse shall not be practically increased by the passengers, even though the weight in the cab is constantly varying, and in this respect these vehicles are radically different from those of the Hansom type, and from the open-bodied gigs, carts, and sulkies wherein the entrance is in front of the axle and the driver sits over it.

I do not herein claim the combinations set forth in the claims in either of my said other applications, Serial Nos. 132,923 and 72,548, renewed as 206,534.

\Vhat I claim is 1. In a two-wheeled cab, the combination of a cranked axle, the body having a door in the rear side and a closed front wall, the drivers seat in front of the axle, side springs secured to the axle-wrists, the shafts hinged to the vehicle in or below the planes of the passengerseats, and a spring interposed between the shafts and the body, substantially as set forth.

2. In a two-wheeled cab, the .combination of a cranked axle, the body having a door in the rear side and a closed front wall, the drivers low the planes of the passengers seats, and a spring interposed between the shafts and the body, substantially as set forth.

3. In a two-wheeled cab, the combination of the cranked axle, thebody havinga door in the rear side and a closed front wall, the drivers seat in front of the axle, side springs secured to the axlewrists above the part a, the shafts hinged directly to the body of the vehicle independently of the drivers support in or below the planes of the passengerscats, and aspring interposed between the shafts and the body, substantially as set forth.

4:. In a two-wheeled cab, the combination of the cranked axle, the body having a door in the rear side and a closed front wall, the drivers support in front of the axle, the side springs secured to the axle, ,a verticallyadjustable shaft and a spring interposed between the shaft and the'parts drawn thereby, said spring being at a point in front of the rear end of the shaft, substantially as set forth.

5. In a two-wheeled cab, the combination of the cranked axle, the body having a door in the rear side and closed front wall, the drivers support in front of the axle, the side springs secured to the axle-wrists, the shafts flexibly connected to the vehicle in or below the horizontal planes of the passengers seats, adjust ing devices, substantially as described, for adjusting the vfront ends of the shafts, and a spring connected to the shafts at a point in front of thosepoints at which it is fiexibl y connected with the vehicle, as aforesaid, substantially as set forth.

6. In a vehicle, the combination, with the interior skeleton frame, of a sheet-metal panel or panels, curved or inclined, substantially as described, and shown at 1, as set forth.

7. In a vehicle, the eo1nbinatio11,with an interior skeleton frame, of sheet-metal panels arranged at an angle to each other, and a covering-piece for the joint, substantially as set forth.

8. In a vehicle, the combination of an interior skeleton frame, outer sheet-metal panels secured to said frame, and the screw-threaded fastening devices having unbroken surfaces at 

